Now according to Ricky Ponting, Scott Boland is the “luckiest player in Australian history”, who also said the selectors were correct to keep him out of the third Test at the SCG. Boland has had an incredible start to his Test career, taking 28 wickets at an average of 12.21 in just six games.
He hasn’t been able to establish himself in Australia’s lineup, as Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, and Pat Cummins all ahead of him in the pecking order. Hazlewood’s ailments have caused Boland to play in all six of his Test matches, but the NSW fast is now totally healthy after missing the past three games with a side strain.
Because of Starc’s finger injury in the second Test, the Australians decided to use Ashton Agar as a backup spinner at the SCG. The dry Sydney surface is likely to break up and give turn as the game goes on. Boland was thus not included in Australia’s XI when it was revealed on Wednesday.
Many people questioned how Australia could leave Scott Boland out given that Hazlewood hadn’t played since the first Test against the West Indies in November and that they had only selected two front-line pace bowlers.
Damien Fleming stated on Wednesday that he would have wanted Boland to play and Agar to bat as an all-rounder at 6 or 7. Instead, Matt Renshaw is batting at position six, and it is probable that the Australians will need to rely on the occasional bowling of Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, and Steve Smith.
Before the second day of play on Thursday, Ponting was questioned about whether Boland was the unluckiest Australian player in history. The former Test captain, though, took a another path.
“He’s actually the luckiest cricketer ever to represent Australia,” Ponting said. “Some of the wickets he’s played on, you’d be still getting wickets nowadays.” Ponting added the caveat “that’s not taking anything away from what Boland has done.”
Discussing the situation on Wednesday, Ponting said: “Boland’s record is outstanding, he probably deserves to be in the team. But the cold, hard facts are that he wasn’t in Australia’s best three fast bowlers at the start of the summer.”